Dua Lipa, Ariana Grande and even Donald Trump have signed up to the manifesting philosophy - the trend in believing that dreams can come true if you envision a positive outcome. But does it hold the secret to financial and professional success or is it a pseudoscientific fad? And what's behind the meteoric rise of this new-age practice? From books and podcasts to thousands of creators and videos on social media, Megan Lawton traces the history, investigates the methods and explores the latest wa...
Sep 03, 2024•17 min•Transcript available on Metacast As many countries and cities around the world rally against over tourism, we're in Albania which is investing huge sums in growing its infrastructure to welcome visitors in. The UN ranks Albania 4th globally for tourism growth and it places top spot in the European list of countries. Around 14 million visitors are expected in 2024 but with a tourism boom comes huge investment, construction and a changing economy, but at what cost to the environment? We hear about plans to build a luxury resort -...
Sep 02, 2024•17 min•Transcript available on Metacast We hear from farmers in Montana, Iowa and Georgia. What do they want to hear from the presidential candidates ahead of the US election? Presenter: Ed Butler Producer: David Cann (Image: A farmer using a combine in the US. Credit: Getty Images)
Sep 01, 2024•18 min•Transcript available on Metacast It is transfer deadline day for football's most competitive league - the Premier League - when clubs can add players to their squad who were previously under contract with another club. In the cut and thrust of football's transfer market are the agents. Among them, Kees Vos - who has been described as one of the most influential figures in world football. As agent to Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag, he is said to control the ins and outs of the club. Matt Lines talks to him about the stor...
Aug 29, 2024•17 min•Transcript available on Metacast As temperatures rise, productivity falls. Extreme global temperatures are draining tens of billions of dollars in economic productivity every year from some of the world’s biggest cities. It’s not just outdoor jobs that are impacted, but office work too. In this episode, we ask work leaders, economists and employees what can be done to work around hot weather. From changing working hours to introducing heatwave insurance. (Picture: Labourer drinking from a water bottle, in the sunshine. Credit: ...
Aug 28, 2024•17 min•Transcript available on Metacast Cities and countries across the world are bringing in measures to restrict the type of lets popularised by companies like Airbnb and Vrbo. The regulations are to address concerns that homes in tourist areas are being used by visitors rather than being available for local people to rent on a long-term basis. We hear from Barcelona where its hoped thousands of flats will now be available for local people, and we're also in Halifax in Canada, where restrictions been in place for nearly a year. Prod...
Aug 27, 2024•18 min•Transcript available on Metacast Chocolate is very important to Switzerland’s economy: with more than 200,000 metric tonnes produced each year, sales are worth almost $2 billion. But there are challenges – not just over sustainability, but over exploitation. And the volatile price of cacao. We meet the researchers who are coming up with solutions – including new, and potentially healthier, types of a favourite indulgence. And ask: Is this enough to secure the future of chocolate? Produced and presented by Imogen Foulkes (Image:...
Aug 26, 2024•18 min•Transcript available on Metacast The US-based lawyer and managing partner at litigation firm Wisner Baum, in Los Angeles, has made his name taking on large pharmaceutical companies in high-stakes legal battles. He is the youngest attorney in US history to win a multi-billion dollar jury verdict. We hear how Brent transitioned from child actor, to successful lawyer, and how one ground-breaking case has now caught the attention of film-makers. (Picture: Brent Wisner delivers opening remarks in the Monsanto trial in San Francisco,...
Aug 22, 2024•17 min•Transcript available on Metacast We’re in Manisa on Turkey’s west coast. It’s one of the country’s manufacturing centres for home appliances like washers, dryers, and refrigerators. But soon, thanks to a $1bn investment deal, it will also be a local factory hub for China’s BYD - the world’s second biggest maker of electric vehicles. The Turkish government is desperate for international investment to turn around its economy, and the region would benefit from 5,000 jobs. China is keen to get another foothold into the European mar...
Aug 22, 2024•17 min•Transcript available on Metacast Each year millions of Indians go abroad to study and work. A lot of them end up sending money back home, a transfer known as remittances. The money is a crucial source of household income in low and middle-income countries, according to the World Bank. India is the only country to have received more than 100 billion dollars through this route - but it comes at a loss of its human capital. We speak to Indian expats and economists to explore the effect of remittances on the Indian economy. Present...
Aug 21, 2024•17 min•Transcript available on Metacast In February 2024, huge forest fires destroyed 90% of the land and plant species. Workers were killed and homes destroyed. We travel to the seaside town of Vina del Mar to find out how the country’s oldest and most important botanical garden is recovering. The garden’s described as the green lung of the region, and used to be home to hundreds of different plant species, many of them native to Chile. We’ve follow the gardens as they try to reopen and get visitors and tourists back through the gate...
Aug 19, 2024•18 min•Transcript available on Metacast We catch up on the ongoing disruption to the shipping industry after Houthi attacks on commercial vessels. The Iran-backed group said it was targeting ships linked to Israel, the US and the UK in support of Hamas. We look at the cost of diverting cargo away from the Red Sea, and hear about the impact of months of disruption. Plus a new remote shipping route is getting more traffic, as ships travel over the top of the world via the Arctic. Produced and presented by Rick Kelsey (Image: A Houthi mi...
Aug 18, 2024•17 min•Transcript available on Metacast Ginny Gilder won silver as a US Olympic rower in 1984. Today, she's a multimillionaire owner of a women's professional basketball team. How did success in the water inspire Ginny's breakthrough to the board room? We look at a life given to sport and business - and what drives her. (Image: Ginny Gilder. Credit: Getty Images) Presenter: Ed Butler Producer: Amber Mehmood
Aug 15, 2024•17 min•Transcript available on Metacast As Spain's La Liga gets underway, we explore the global advertising appeal and earning potential of one of its newest football stars. Jude Bellingham is a 21-year-old midfielder from England who plays for Real Madrid, and he's hitting the peak of his career. The face of several brands, with major endorsement deals and more courting his attention, we explore his global advertising appeal, and how he might manage these partnerships while still focusing on his game. Presented and produced by Matt L...
Aug 14, 2024•17 min•Transcript available on Metacast We explore professional dog-walking around the world. We hear from walkers from the United States, Argentina and Europe about how they operate, the growing market, and the challenges of making a career from taking other people's pets on daily walks - sometimes several at a time. And we join a dog walker in Paris, Caroline, to find out why the relationship between walker and dog is the most important when securing clients. Expect plenty of barks. (Image: Caroline, a professional dog-walker in Par...
Aug 13, 2024•18 min•Transcript available on Metacast From Instagram-famous dogs to viral kittens, pet influencers are revolutionising brand marketing with viral content and endorsements. It's a lucrative market in which companies are leveraging these furry celebrities to drive engagement and sales. We'll uncover why this trend is proving to be so profitable. (Image: Tika, an Italian greyhound, modelling canine fashion. Credit: Thomas Shapiro) Presented and produced by Deborah Weitzmann
Aug 12, 2024•17 min•Transcript available on Metacast With animal adoptions skyrocketing during the pandemic, pet care has evolved dramatically. From self-cleaning cat litter trays to smart feeding bowls, interactive toys, and pet cameras, we'll hear from some of the brands reshaping the way we care for our furry friends. But are we missing out on the meaningful connections our pets need as automation becomes more prevalent? (Picture: Rupert the British Shorthair cat, inside his litter robot. Credit: Deborah Weitzmann/BBC) Presented and produced by...
Aug 11, 2024•17 min•Transcript available on Metacast As prices for homes and rents continue to rise in many towns and cities, it's one of the key issues for voters. In 2023 the average price of a home in the United States was $495,100, six per cent higher than a year earlier, though the signs are prices may now be starting to fall. That’s partly because mortgage rates have spiralled as high as 7% for many new buyers – making repayments prohibitive. We ask business owners working in housing to tell us why, and what’s the fix? Presenter: Ed Butler P...
Aug 07, 2024•18 min•Transcript available on Metacast Have you decided when you'd like to retire? Will it be your choice, or is there a set age in your country or profession? More than a million people took part in protests in France last year when the government proposed an increase to the retirement age without a vote. Age has also played a big factor in the replacement of Joe Biden as the Democratic presidential candidate. So is a fixed retirement age a good idea – or workplace outdated? Should it be more fluid – a matter of personal choice? Pre...
Aug 06, 2024•18 min•Transcript available on Metacast Four sportsmen have reached 10 figures according to financial magazine Forbes. However the wealthiest sportswoman, tennis star Serena Williams, could triple her wealth and not get there. We speak to agent Stuart Duguid, who looks after four-time Grand Slam winner Naomi Osaka, who tells us how elite sportswomen are investing their money and what barriers there are to growing their fortunes. We ask if, and when it might happen, and what that would mean for women’s sport. Presenter: Sam Fenwick Pro...
Aug 05, 2024•18 min•Transcript available on Metacast The sudden closure of the huge open pit copper mine, Cobre Panamá, has created a dramatic economic fallout, with its loss of jobs and damage to the country’s reputation for investors. It was shut down by Panama's Supreme Court after months of protests against it. We look at the impact, and also ask what could happen next? Produced and presented by Jane Chambers Additional sound mixing by Grant Cassidy (Image: The Cobre Panama mine. Credit: Reuters)
Aug 04, 2024•18 min•Transcript available on Metacast The founder of one of Ireland's largest recruitment agencies, Staffline, shares how her upbringing during one of the most politically tumultuous periods in Northern Ireland's history, known as 'The Troubles', shaped her career path. From working in her parent's taxi firm, to the probation service to recruitment. And even a foray into politics. So what does Tina McKenzie MBE envision for the future of the country? Presenter: Sam Fenwick Producer: Amber Mehmood (Image: Tina McKenzie. Credit: Charl...
Aug 01, 2024•17 min•Transcript available on Metacast Football clubs must work under a strict policy of Financial Fair Play - or FFP - but what does it mean? And how does it work? With the summer transfer window now open, clubs are in business, buying and selling players. But football’s governing bodies are keeping a close eye on how much they spend. We take a look at how top-flight clubs in the Spanish league, La Liga, are managing the financial constraints. (Image: Real Madrid unveils new signing, Kylian Mbappe, at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, Spai...
Jul 31, 2024•17 min•Transcript available on Metacast More than 25 years after the Kosovo war, a music festival in the capital Pristina is hoping to change the image of the country around the world by inviting international artists and fans to learn more about the country’s cultural scene. Sunny Hill Festival is organised by global pop star Dua Lipa and her dad Dugi, who’s from Pristina. They are using their industry contacts to bring acts like Bebe Rexha, Stormzy and Burna Boy to party with tens of thousands of people, as well as inviting top indu...
Jul 30, 2024•17 min•Transcript available on Metacast We look at Japan's policy to boost its economy by getting more women into the workforce. It was announced back in 2013 by former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, and dubbed 'Womenomics'. Mr Abe gave a deadline of 2020 to significantly increase the number of women in leadership roles. But that date quietly came and went without the target even getting close. However could things could be starting to change? Japan Airlines new CEO Mitsuko Tottori is a woman, and that has restarted conversations. We hear...
Jul 29, 2024•18 min•Transcript available on Metacast We hear from 4-time Olympic gold medallist Libby Trickett and her entrepreneurial husband Liam. Libby Trickett (Lenton) competed for Australia at the highest level, winning gold in the pool in Beijing and London. At the height of her swimming career she married fellow swimmer Luke Trickett, who had left the sport and was using the skills he'd learnt as an athlete to enter the business world. We hear how the Global Financial Crisis inspired Luke’s entrepreneurial spirit. And through it all, how t...
Jul 25, 2024•17 min•Transcript available on Metacast Paris 2024 will see the debut of the competitive street dance, Breaking. From the streets of the Bronx in the 70s to sport's biggest stage, we hear from the pioneers and the athletes hoping to turn their passion into a lucrative career. Breaking isn’t currently on the list for the next games in LA in 2028, so could it be a one-hit wonder? (Image: Man doing a headstand outside with his crew cheering in the background. Credit: Getty Images) Presented and produced by Matt Lines...
Jul 24, 2024•17 min•Transcript available on Metacast The running shoe industry is worth around $50bn across the world, with more and more of us taking part in the sport. With more popularity comes more competition, so what are brands doing to keep consumers interested? We ask the chief marketing officer at Swiss sportswear company, ON, and find out how it helps sales when a top athlete wears their shoes. And as the debate around 'super shoes' rumbles on, are they really worth the expensive price tag? US marathon winner Kellyn Taylor tells us about...
Jul 23, 2024•17 min•Transcript available on Metacast We’re used to fashion giants like adidas and Nike designing athlete uniforms for the Olympics and Paralympics. This year however, it’s likely we’ll see smaller labels on the podium. In this programme we hear from the diverse list of designers and learn why the fashion industry is so keen to work with sports stars. Presented and produced by Megan Lawton (Image: Portugal's Gabriel Ribeiro competes during the Skateboarding Men's Street Preliminaries of the Olympic Qualifier Series 2024.Image: Getty...
Jul 22, 2024•18 min•Transcript available on Metacast People arriving at Paris’s Orly Airport for the 2024 Olympic games will be able to take an underground train straight to Saint-Denis where most of the Olympic action is taking place. It's thanks to a line extension that opened on June 24. And that is just the ‘hors d’oeuvre’. The Grand Paris Express is a metro expansion on a massive scale whose aim is to transform the city from a normal-sized European capital to a metropolis the size of London. What could it do for the Parisian, and French, econ...
Jul 21, 2024•18 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
